Queens Beach Snorkeling

The 13th most popular snorkel dive spot in Oahu.

Thursday 11 May 2017 06:34 GMT

South of Waikiki, the snorkeling at Queens Beach is popular with local snorkelers, even though it's not the best on the island. The water visibility is average at best, and poor if windy. Also, you definitely do not want to snorkel at Queens Beach if there is a south swell. This area is part of the Waikiki Marine Life Conservation District with extends from the jetty south past the aquarium. Offshore, there is a flat reef with sand flats to explore in water depths from 3 to 20 feet deep. There may be some better snorkeling just south of here to the north of the Waikiki Aquarium. While snorkeling at Queens Bath, you may encounter moorish idols, angelfish, wrasse and parrotfish.

For the best snorkeling at Queens Beach, try for a windless day with low surf and no rain on the days prior.

After a long day of Queens Beach snorkeling, grab a cool drink at the La Mariana Tiki Bar in Waikiki.

For snorkeling at Queens Beach, there is street parking on Kalakawa Avenue.
To reach the best snorkeling on Oahu by air, you will need to fly into Honolulu International Airport (HNL) which is located just on the west side of Honolulu. There are direct flights into Honolulu from the US, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, Tahiti, Japan and Fiji. In addition, there are inter-island flights to all the main Hawaiian Islands.
There is good snorkeling on Oahu year-round. But, the conditions very around the island depending upon time of year due to winds and currents. The north shore snorkeling dives are best from June through September and are usually closed out the rest of the year due to high surf. The south shore dive sites are best from November through May. The main exception is Hanauma Bay, which tends to be good year-round since it is very protected.